The Net

Some years ago, before my friend Kelly birthed two beautiful children, she went through a hell of a lot of pregnancy tests. Surgeries, miscarriages, tearful phone calls and texts that broke sad news. She needed her friends, and we were there for her. Answering calls, showing up. We’d cry over beer in big bar booths and drop off cards and casseroles when hopes were shattered once again. We promised her it was going to happen someday, and it did.

I remember huddling in the back seat of her car one day after the second miscarriage. She was devastated, and we didn’t know how to fix it. But we were there, silent and strong. “We’re here for you,” we said. Because it’s all we knew to say.

She created an expression during that time, one that’s stuck with this group since. “The Net,” she called us. Because we caught her when she fell.

As years have passed, we’ve all taken our turns jumping in. We promise to catch each other, and we do our best. Sometimes we screw up. Sometimes we fall apart. New friends join forces, old friends strengthen theirs. But, in the end…we are there.

This year, when I was down and called for help, The Net showed up. Every one of them. Braiding their fibers together to make something stronger. I jumped, and they caught me. And I will never forget what it felt like to fall–softly, safely–in that place.

On the anniversary of the night where, a year earlier, I needed them more than ever, I wanted to celebrate them.

I dreamed of what it would look like. And, like Christmas morning, I dreamed big. I wanted a circle. I wanted love. I wanted music and candles and something no one would forget. I wanted summer camp kumbaya but the grown-up kind, with drinks and sex jokes and laughter that organically shifted into tears and sharing and “I love yous.” I wanted everyone to really, truly feel connected and loved in that circle but, at the same time, I didn’t want some cheesy “Wind Beneath my Wings” stunt either. Because I’m the first one to roll my eyes at a baby shower when we have to play one of those games where some girl loses an eye when she says the word “Baby.” I just wanted it to be real and good and meaningful.

So, a couple weeks ago, Heidi made plans and called our friend who owns a restaurant while I sent out an e-mail and asked The Net to come. I asked each woman to bring a charm–something that would be given to another woman that night. Any charm that represented the celebration and power of women–a favorite memory, a word of advice, a symbol of strength. It was a stretch, sure, and could damn near head down the cheesy “Wind Beneath my Wings” road, but maybe…just maybe…it would be magic.

Saturday night, twenty-eight women stepped into the candle-lit den of Lucarelli’s to celebrate each other.

There was music. And candles. And a special menu created just for us that night…with Nella Bella-linis.

I brought new friends and cousins and smiled as I watched my old friends lovingly welcome them, embrace them, treat them like sisters. I felt so proud of my friends, happy to show them off.

There was laughter and bruschetta and peach fizzy drinks named after my girl. There was wild, good energy that wafted through the room like the first spring breeze that sweeps through open windows. And slowly, chairs gathered. First a few, then a few more. Bodies crowded, quilts spread out, and soon, there it was…one beautiful circle. No Wind Beneath my Wings cue or all-call to prick fingers and share blood. It happened, just like that.

“Look, it’s happening,” Heidi says.

“I know…it’s just like I imagined,” I replied.

And the rest of the night was magic. The Net at its finest.

We shared, until 2 in the morning, our pains, our joys, our challenges. We cheered each other on. We cried and hugged and thanked each other for being there. We said “this is incredible” and “how come we don’t do this more often?” and inside we knew it was really special, meant to be saved for moments like this.

There is no way to really explain what happened in that room. The way each woman told her story. The way everyone listened. The way it seemed every charm was hand-picked for its recipient. The way I didn’t want the night to end.

Twenty-eight women. All different, all passionate, all capable. We have our issues–our drama, our fall-outs, our misunderstandings. Because we are women, and with that comes spunk and vigor and the need to be heard and validated. With that comes the beautiful storm of strong opinions and the force of which we express them. There are pains. But, underneath all that, there is so much love. There is the need to answer a call when it comes forth. And when it does, it’s truly a beautiful thing.

I’ve been there.

I couldn’t help but scan the room and think of every one of these women’s journey. We’ve showed up. At funerals, in birth rooms, at parties, in the middle of the night. We’ve taken phone calls, e-mails, held, hugged and prayed. And we’ll do it again.

I feel so privileged to know these women. They are strong, beautiful souls, and I am daily inspired by what they bring to my life.

These women are bona fide rockstars. …and I have the charm to prove it.

I made them all promise to remember that evening. To not wake up the next morning and regret opening up, crying, saying “I love you.” And I promised not to post the other pictures.

We danced. We loved. We celebrated. We balanced the heavy emotion and puffy eyes of meaningful stories with really funny moments that can’t be repeated. It was perfect.

And I couldn’t help but think a hundred times that night where I was exactly one year before. Huddled in a dark room, out of breath, out of tears, and certain life would never be the same.

Thanks to these women, life is so much more. We are all so very capable.

We will move on. We will tuck our charms in drawers and soon forget they’re there. We’ll stop talking about that night and what was said.

But, when one of us falls, we’ll remember. We will be there…the ever faithful, loving Net.

After three hours of sleep that night, we huddled the next morning in the party-crashed living room, clutching coffee cups, rubbing dark eye circles, and reliving the magic. It was that good.

Bless poor Brett’s heart.

And bless the $100 Little Lesiw gift certificate winner, Commenter #631, Melissa Marie: Been following for a little less than a year. Your words are true and honest. Thank you for not sugar coating it all! Heading over to buy some beautiful head bows. 🙂 We are anticipating our third foster baby…a little girl! (we have had her brothers who are 2 and 1 for the past 12 months. Thank you for your honesty!

Congratulations, Melissa. Please e-mail your contact info to kellehamptonblog@comcast.net, and you’ll be picking some blooms for that sweet baby’s hair in no time.

And because giveaways are better when you double your trouble, how about another one?

Returning sponsor, Loving Shop Tutus is giving away a handmade tutu to one lucky commenter on this post. And use Coupon Code ENJOY to get 10% off your order at Loving Shop (great for Valentine’s Day!)

And to my Net…to every woman present the other night…you are amazing and I love you.

ADDENDUM: Several have e-mailed about the bracelets and how the charms worked. Simple, inexpensive bracelets were purchased at Joann’s (or I found the same ones HERE) and each woman brought with them a charm they had already purchased (search ‘silver charm’ on Etsy or Google…it’s amazing what they have charms for. EVERYTHING) Each woman present had their name written on a slip of paper, and all the papers were put in a bowl. Everyone drew a name (putting it back, of course, if they drew their own name) and your own charm went to the woman whose name you chose. Circle starts and you tell your story and what your charm means, give your charm away, etc. Make sense?

ahhh, a tutu…my daughter would love that seeing as how that is her attire for almost everyday 🙂 Thank you for sharing your friends, I know what you mean. We have had a very very rough year and a half and God has provided the right people to say the right things at the right times. Friends are good and SO important.

Not to be a downer, but I wish I had that Net right now. I’m pregnant, and hormonal, and I have a natural inclination to periods of almost-depression, and I’m on the downswing right now. I have friends, and I have the hope that some of those friends will become part of a net for me, but right now the friendships are a little more superficial than that.

I have my husband, and I have God. But sometimes, you just want girls.

I’m sorry to dump this here. I just needed to say it to a woman who would understand. Thank you so much for sharing.

I’ve always wondered how everyone in your group seems to get along so well. As I have gone through life, I have found it harder and harder to make real friendships with women. Most seem to want the superficial type of friendship (ie “what can you do for me” and/or “what kind of dirt do you have on a neighbor” type of friendship). Nothing meaningful or long-lasting. I have been given so many wonderful things in my life, so I am not trying to complain. Wonderful husband, wonderful kids, awesome house…but real and true friends are lacking. At times, it bothers me but I try not to let it,as I realize there are more important things in life to be upset about. Glad that you have your Net….I need to go fishing more often to find mine.

Love your blog, love your honesty…and your girls…they are beautiful! I would love to have a tutu for my precious Ethiopian princess, home 7 months now. She is my littlest of 5 small ones I cherish more than life itself. Thanks for what you do.

One thing (of many) I have never had is a Net. I’ve always had a few friends here and only a handful I could ever truly count on. Having a support system of any size, let alone 28 women strong, must be wonderful…a true blessing…ever since being “introduced” to your blog when Nella was born I have always envied all the things that you have (included a genetically enhanced little) that I dream of having one day…add The Net to the list! You truly are blessed! Tracie from NY

YES and AMEN! Everyone needs a net of women. Studies show that women live longer when they have a sisterhood of friends. I am so lucky to have a net and although it has gotten bigger and smaller with the people who have passed through my life, I am richer for knowing all of them.

Those girlfriend Nets are incredible aren’t they? I am so happy for you that you were able to share in such a special night following such a special time in your life…your Nella’s first birthday. I’ve been reading your blog for a year now, and have actually never commented…so let me say what I’ve thought a million times over…thank you. Thank you for your words, your honesty, your passion, and your outlook. You are a light in so many people’s lives.

Oh, and I would LOVE to be the lucky winner of a little tutu for my Charlotte girl 🙂

thank you for empowering women to be the amazing, strong people that we are! reading your blog every day is a such a wonderful tradition to look forward to with the beautiful pictures of your gorgeous girls, the stories, and your writing… i appreciate it so much! my little edie would LOVE a tutu, she’s 18 months and just getting into dressing up it would be so special to have her first piece of dress-up clothing (besides old halloween costumes) be one of these awesome tutus!!

As a girl who’s always seemed to have a difficult time connecting with other girls, my Net has always been small–but strong enough to believe it has to be made of at least a hundred women for all the weight it can bear. 🙂 I think it’s important beyond belief for everyone to have the safety of The Net when they need it most, and your post just drove that home. 🙂

lovely. just lovely. I thought of you and Nella on Saturday. It was my thrity fourth birthday as well! It was also the day, one year ago when I found out we had lost our fifth baby. Thank you Kelle for sharing your story.t.j.casady@earthlink.net

I am just now building a net, getting back together with friends from our young years. We all need each other so badly. I love your ‘non wind beneath my wings’…i too roll my eyes at the “baby” game…ahhhI am going to get a night out like yours planned…thanks for the inspiration.

LOVE “The Net”. I’d love to know more about how you did it … did you have bracelets for everyone to put their charm on? How did you decide who got what? I have a special “net” and I’d love to do this. Thanks for sharing.

I have a net of close friends from my freshman year of college – we’re known as The Divas and have reunions every couple of years (and keep up a private blog to stay up to date with each other’s lives). I feel lucky to have wonderful women in my life, just as you do with the Net!

That Net is awesome Kelle, I have tears in my eyes from looking at those beautiful pictures. Hold that Net close and embrace them. Thank you for sharing that with us, I love that you share your blessings with us!

you know when you’re having that kind of cry when you’re holding back because you don’t totally want to fall into that sobbing kind of cry?? that is me right now. I’m glad you had this night. I’m glad you have this circle. I have a ‘net’. It doesn’t look exactly like yours, but it is good and real and appreciated. There are no words to describe knowing that there are friends out there that have your back. no matter what.

I can tell you this, I started reading your blog yesterday, and today, I held my 6 month old daughter a bit tighter and bit longer today. Tears streaming down my face for what I have, for what your story does to me. I have so much, how do I lose touch so easily? Thanks for reminding me of what really matters.

I can’t even tell you how much I love your blog. I started following a couple months ago and have spent hours catching up on your old posts. Reading and browsing your pictures has been one of my main inspirations to follow my dream of becoming a photo-journalist despite what I actually majored in for college. Your life philosophy is amazing and inspiring. And your beautiful beautiful photos blow me away (as well as those beautiful beautiful subjects in them!) Keep rockin’ it out and enjoy that Net..they’re such a great part of life! 🙂

It is truly a gift to have friends like that. It is more rare than you think. I would give anything for deep relationship with just one. Girls need girlfriends. I’ll keep waiting. Glad you found yours!

Beautiful! I admire your ability to acknowledge your “net”, embrace your “net” and use your “net” when needed. I have a “net” although smaller than yours that want so badly to help me and to be there for my family, but it’s hard for me to accept. You have inspired me to do a little more taking for my amazing group of ladies, that love me and my family. Thanks for opening my eyes.Much love to you and your amazing family!

How incredibly special that night must have been for you. Up until 4.5 months ago I had never had friends like that but out of the blue we were moved to a small town I thought I would never move to and behold a slew of incredible women live here and I am blessed, blessed, blessed! I only hope one day we have moments like that. Thank you for sharing Kelle.

I have not been following your blog long….only a few few weeks now, but I feel as if I have known you forever. You are an inspiration. Loved this post. There is nothing like the power of supportive friends. Your net is truly beautiful! xo

HI!!!Could NOT LIVE without MY NET!!!I have a circle of friends who would and does come running when needed, I am a Part of it and it makes me Proud to be a woman and witness your NET, I stole your name, ours is just old friends who gather when needed!!Loved every word so muchhugs 2 U,jamie–MIMI

How powerful, magical, inspiring, connecting, and purely loving that night together must have been. It’s easy to forget just how special the people in our lives are. Just last night I was on the phone with a dear friend that just was added to MY net, and I told her “I am so glad I met you, you have helped me see things in myself I didn’t know I could see”. I love each one of my friends so very much. When I was younger and in need of friends, my mom use to tell me “if you just have one TRUE friend, that’s all you need”. You don’t need a million friends, you just need the ones who will always be there for you, who you can call in times of need, or if you just have a funny story you want to tell.

This post really touched me, and it’s hard to say exactly why. I think it’s because I find it so beautiful and moving that you girls have such friendships like this, because I feel that with my best friends every time I’m with them, and even when I’m not. I appreciate them so very much and I would love to do this one day with them, too.

You really do suck the marrow out of ever corner in life Ms. Kelle Hampton and I love it!! Your dreams are big-but real and attainable because you are so authentic and true to yourself. And it’s because you are so NOT “wind beneath my wings” drama that I am addicted (a healthy addiction) to your blog. I come to be inspired, enriched and to fill my soul with your wisdom. And I thank you for sharing pieces of you with all of us.

Your “net” is filled with beautiful, capable and fun-loving women-you are blessed with the richness of friendship, sisterhood and all the magic that comes with it!! And magical it is!! The journeys I have taken with my “net” is all about the laughter, the tears, the memories shared, the pulling each other out of dark places and healing and celebrating and changing and accepting and loving…it is a sisterhood that I hold so dear to my heart. I too am blessed with a “net” of beautiful, fun-loving, capable girlfriends that bless my life each and every day! And I am grateful!I am so happy for you to have had a ROCK STAR evening with the the women that have been your net and to celebrate with them a YEAR of so many emotions!! Cheers to you (as I hold up my pretend Nella Bella-lini) and your “Net”. …by the way, Love the guitar charm…

God Bless You!!MoniquePS I am thrilled beyond words to share with you that one of my girlfriends gave me your Empower necklace “to thine own self be true” and me lubing it soooo much!!! A constant reminder to believe in myself and my talents. So I thank you for this gift as well.

I’m a brand new follower, but I can’t get enough of your writing style and your story. Thanx for being so open and honest, especially your beautiful Nella’s birthday story and the journey you’ve taken. You are a remarkable woman.

My little one is a girly-girl. We would LOVE one of those tutus for our little princess ’cause you know they each know they’re beautiful and princess-material!

What a wonderful night and wonderful women to share it with!!!!! And I still can’t believe there is a place called Lucarelli’s in FLA!! PLease tell me where it is, I have to send my parents there (they are currently in FLA at their winter hide out, LOL). They would be thrilled to go to a place that bears their name!! Besides our family, a bakery in Italy and someone who was in teh credits every week on the Soprano’s, I have never seen “our” name! 🙂Kristi

It is such a blessing to find women to share life with. I am gathering with my “net” on Feb 10th for a valentines tea. I can not wait. We were told to have Valentines. Each year our Host gives us a “gift” of a word, that represents each one of us. It is always magic.I have to admit, I’m a little jealous of those Nella Bella-linis! I love pink fizzy drinks 😉Cheers to having a Net!

Reading this blog everyday is so inspiring. You live such an adventurous life and I love reading it and feeling like I’m right there enjoying every minute of it with you! And oh I only hope I have a great group of friends like that when I finally reach a major milestone in my life! Until that day I enjoy spending time with my little niece and nephew 🙂

love my net, and LOVE that tutu… (ok, i confess, half this comment is just to enter. i told my husband TODAY that i’m buying a tutu for our little Ellie, who will will born in the next couple weeks with Down syndrome! i want her to be half as cute as nella and maybe even dress as well!)

I LOVED this post! I also have an amazing net…and unfortunately a small part of it got tangled in one of those she said-she said moments this last week. It was a tough week, but your post reminds me of how we may sometimes get tangled, but when you REALLY need someone, they are there. I’m sure it was everything and MORE than you could describe in this post. I am so truly glad you had such a special and meaningful gathering to celebrate one unbelievable year! OXOX

You are truly inspiring. I am a fairly new follower. I have been reading for about three months now and you leave me in awe and put a smile on my face everytime I stop by. Your friends are just as lucky to have you as you are them. And congratulations on the first year.

I’m inspired by your words…I seriously think you need to write a book about your life, and all of its beauty. Don’t stop at the blog… Awaken the world to your inner soul through the magnificence of freshly printed paper. For reals girl ♥

What a beautiful way to come full circle. The size & strength of your net does not surprise me. For all of the goodness & beauty & light you put out into the world, it comes back at you tenfold. Sounds like it was a night you will remember forever, even if the charm is forgotten someday. xoKate

You had me in tears … again!! They are good tears though because in your words I saw my own net as well. What an amazing blessing it is to be able to share, love, cry, celebrate and laugh with those who really cares!!

Your Net reminds me so much of my group of friends. We’ve known each other for a long, long time, and we’ve cried over losses, comforted each other over heartbreak, laughed about silly mistakes and memories, and made sure none of us ever went lonely on a Friday night- whether that meant dressing up for a night out or snuggling into a living room couch to watch chick flicks and eat massive amounts of ice cream. Friends are wonderful.

Oh Kelle… this one brought me to tears. I started thinking about my own net, small as it may be, and how a few have slipped away recently. Called them and had hour long conversations. Love love love getting back to where we belong. Adorable tutus! Hoping to win one for my daughter’s 1st birthday outfit this march! The year has flown and it is bittersweet 🙂

Oh, Miss Kelle, you sure know how to live Life to the fullest, always. What FUN! Congrats to the giveaway winner and, again, always SO nice that you do those. You are so lucky to have your Net. To LELA – dont worry about dumping here or being a downer. I have found this to be a great little community and we all go thru rough times. I understand about the hormones – hang in there. To WENDY – i so agree. i dont have a net. I am at an age where I dont think that will change now. I have often tried to reach out to women and it doesnt seem to work. Sadly, I too often found women to be too gossipy for my liking and judgemental. just saying..So, my net is really my husband. And my sister. And that is ok for me; we are all different. Sometimes I wish for more, but it just has not worked out that way. But Life is good. from the blog mama

This post makes me miss my bestie, KO. She may be moving home to St Lou from Chicago soon and I could not be happier about it! I miss her so much. Good friends are rare and you are so lucky to have such a huge group of amazing women.”It’s hard to find people who love you no matter what”~Carrie Bradshaw

I have just recently came across your blog and I am so glad I did. Everything about it is just so beautiful. I find myself crying, not just a couple tears, big cries after reading your beautiful posts. Thank you so much for your beautiful blog, beautiful family, beautiful photography, beautiful writing, and sharing it all with us. Thank you!

I love your babies. Love your family. But when you do a post of your “other family”. These girls that are definitely more than just your friends… I get so excited. You need that net to help with life. Your girlfriends are amazing. I’m so glad you have that and I’m so glad you share it with us!

Wow – what an amazing group of women and an amazing night!! Such a strength to know a force to be reckon with will be there to catch you as you start to fall. Wishing The Net the richest blessings in the coming year xxx

My net may be smaller than yours but I am amazed at the strength that comes in even the smallest of numbers. You have beautiful friends and wonderful memories to share for the rest of your lives…so very blessed!

What a beautiful tribute to your friends. I’ve lived in six towns in three states in the past several years, and even though I have a couple close friends where we’re living now, I’m admittedly jealous of your large “Net.” What a blessing they must be to you.

Love The Net. I’ve got an amazing crew here and you’re inspired me to celebrate it. I also have a friend who has suffered from infertility and miscarriages and I know how hard it is for her and all her friends – especially as we have all started having our bubbas.

The evening sounds idyllic. It makes me want to reconnect with old friends who’ve fallen by the wayside. Is it sad that my living room looks almost the same… and I didn’t have a party last night as an excuse?

What a blessing to have such supportive,loving friends and family. My husband and I experienced the safety of our Net in October when our daughter was born 11 weeks early. We were prayed for and loved on so good! Our sweet fighter of a baby girl has been home since mid December and is doing so well! We are a blessed people. Thank you for being such a daily inspiration!

I always need the tissues when I read your posts Kelle! These were happy tears though! Such a beautiful and inspiring post – I am already planning my own ‘net’ night! Thanks again for your constant spreading of warmth and love! And for your fantastic give-aways! As an adult ballet dancer with two little ballet girls I am extra excited about this one!

i am not a crier. really. but your blog has brought tears to my eyes (or inspired a full-on cry) countless times over the past year. thank you, for your depth, your passion, and your unabashed love for your little ones. when you talk about Nella’s birth, it makes my heart hurt. 4 years ago i gave birth to my second son who, because he was unplanned and because through ultrasound they discovered he had abnormal fingers, i was completely unattached to and feeling devastatingly guilty for not loving and accepting him like i should. it all seems silly now, since i love that kid more than life itself, but at the time, it was real, and dark and scary. so thank you, for putting into words how i felt, and how i continue to feel about my children. you are a gift to all of us. ali

I discovered your blog just a week ago. Since then I’ve been reading, crying and laughing every free moment of the day. I love your beautifull girls, your stories and photos. Thank you for sharing! Recomending your blog to all my friends. We have all something to learn from you and your view of life! Greetings from Norway! 🙂

I love that you call your “group” the net. Adorable and fitting. I have 2 Nets and very thankful for them. As they say we can’t pick our family but we can pick our friends – amen. Your daughters are adorable, their clothes are amazing and your heart is as sweet as they come. I love following your blog. You rock! Be blessed.

I love reading your thoughts Kelle! You offer up real inspiration for a lot of women out there. Being a miitary wife, I know how important it is to have a net in place! We are both so blessed to have good friends in our lives. Keep on Rockin Lady! All the best to you!

Another tear jerker! Do you realize how blessed you are to have so many friends to lean on? I have a small handful, but they are wonderful 🙂 I dig the tutus and need to check them out, I need a few for a baby shower.

The Net…I love it! Words are hard to come by when it comes to a magical night with your closest girlfriends! No matter the amount of planning, it’s always the moments that people bring from inside that make the night perfect!

You’ve got me crying already!I am in search of my net of friends.I pray that I will find them soon.A net of friends that celebrates differences & understands faults.I am hoping that my net will be in our next phase of life as we move on from a college lifestyle into a military family life and begin a family of our own.Your amazing, talented, beautiful, inspiring…Thank you for giving me hope that I will find my net someday.Biz

So much fun! I miss Miami, her in New York it is such a hassle to get ou y but for my 30th last month I had all my girlfriends come over for a party and we had that kinda experience “why don’t we do this more often!” Great post, very candid, very real, love you!

Kelle, I love looking at all tyour pictures and eading up on your beautiful girls, you have a wonderful way with words…and the camera. Thank you so much for giving us glimpses of your life. Everybody needs a ‘net’. Also, my little 2 1/2 year old would love one of those tu tu’s!

I have been reading your blog for some time now and I always come away feeling lighter, brighter and happier. This post has so much meaning to me. I never really had a net until almost 2 years ago, now I would have to say my net would consist of many women from around Australia and the world. All inspirational women, each with their own stories and amazing life journies. They came to me through an online forum, literally “the net”. They supported me during my darkest days of my unborn sons diagnosis of a severe heart defect, through his birth and death, and then my grief. Their support has been constant. Without my net of ladies I do not know where I would be without them today. They have supported me also through my susbsequent IVF journey, my current pregnancy and now that I am about to give birth…I know that they are up to something. I love them, and because of them I have never cried so many happy tears in my life. Everyone should have a net of friends that is there to catch them when they fall, and support them through good times and bad times. Unfortunately my net is be hard to get them ALL together at the one time, but every now and then, some of us do manange to have a catch up, and those meets are amazing. I am looking forward to my next meet up with a few of them in one weeks time. Thanks for sharing your “net” through your post. I hope it inspires other women to love and share with others and to recognise how important having a strong net is. Love your work!!!

This post was nothing short of inspiring, beautiful, and exactly what I need at this moment 🙂 Thank you for always pushing me to slow down and appreciate those around me! Just out of curiosity, did you tell each woman to bring a charm for a specific other woman? Just wondering how one person didn’t end up with multiple charms and some with none… In case I decide to have a similar celebration. Thank you again!

Thank you for sharing this with us. This was a good reminder how important girlfriends are, no matter the distance! You brought tears to my eyes, thinking about my girlsfriends ‘back home.’ I miss them so much!

ah you are so blessed. though my net isn’t quite as big as yours, it is strong and sturdy and cherished as well. thanks. i’m sending your post to those 3 gals to convey how special they are to me. oh and of course my daughter would LOVE a tutu for her upcoming 3rd bday!

That is so amazing that you have such a “Net”!! I wish every woman would have one but unfortunately so many of us don’t! You are such an amazing person and I am so glad I found your blog…it brings such beauty and truth that we all need sometimes…thank you for being so real!

I want to be in that net…amazing! Being a military spouse, my net is cast wide over this whole world…and that sucks…and that is incredible. What would we do without our girlfriends??? I love the whole thing!

I have a net, but I never thought of it that way, just considered them amazing friends. I would love to bless one of those fibers in my net with a tutu for her little girl. She has been through some trying times in her first year as a mother and Little E is almost a year old.

I couldn’t wait for this post! Not so I could see myself in Heidi’s snuggie, but so you’d put words to exactly what that night was all about! You articulate it so well and it was all that you said…and more!

A beautiful post. You are all truly blessed. Having friends that share your soul and dance in your heart….it’s good. It’s goosebumps good. I had tears a year ago reading your birth story…again…I have tears reading your circle of life story…

I just have to say…sweet Kelle…and sweet friends. The combination is just a great life dessert. Keep indulging in these sweet girlfriend moments…these kind of calories count…but you already know that :O)

Absolutely beautiful. Makes me remember my own net when I lost the baby I was carrying… makes me think of the times I’ve been there for my girls… and makes me appreciate them all the more. THANK YOU for helping us take another look at life, at love, and see what it truly is… something more than have ever even imagined it to be.

Kelle ~ You are so blessed to have such a beautiful group of friends. I would love to “spoil” my friends sometime. They work so hard and sacrifice daily to make sure their kids and husbands are happy. And I am blessed to have them in my life.

Kelle-I feel truly blessed with my “net” of only 3 true friends. I can not imagine having 28 of them! But whether you have 3 or 28, life would certainly not be the same without these people. Thank you for a beautiful post.

Sounds like you had an amazing night! What a wonderful “net” you have. I’m sure they feel blessed to have you in their “net”. Love the pics of your girls in their tutus they remind me of my little dancer!

Kelle- I have been following your blog since I was pregnant with my daughter, Samantha…she is 3 years old now! I recently had a miscarriage and it was the hardest time in my life! But thanks to my “Net” I got through it. Your words, your photographs, your life, your family & friends inspire me every day. I am lucky to have stumbled accross your blog all those years ago! Thanks for sharing your life with us.

I’m envious of your net – why do some gals (like me?) have a hard time nursing and maintaining those very wonderful friendships? Thank you for reminding me to celebrate the wonderful women in my world!

My favourite pic by far was the one of you & Heidi in bed with Nella. You look so emotionally fragile & Heidi has such a calm strength about her…like she’d be ready & able to keep you afloat if you ever went under. Such raw beauty & Nella Bean just curled into you~oy..tears. Just beautiful! Sending more stranger~love your way. Maria

Reading this post really makes me realize that I need to focus on friends a little more. I give my whole life to my kids and my hubby, and let friendships fall to the wayside. I really need to change this.

Wow, what a spectacular celebration. OMG, you must be emotionally exhausted, but hopefully in a good way. Your net definitely has been an incredible support – you are blessed to have so many in close proximity.

My net is what I call my tribe – a group of strong, loving, creative, amazing women – some here in MD, most in PA, and a smattering in New England. I love them all. They surprised me this weekend with a celebration for my 40th. Wow, what a surprise. I truly know that I’m loved and it leaves me speechless and in awe. I am swimming deep gratitude to know and to be loved by such wonderful women.

What a beautiful post. It is a blessing to have group of strong, wonderful woman to surround and protect you. I also have a net. It is a smaller net of 6 woman.We have known each other since we were 6 years old. We have gone through everything together. We live on opposite ends of the county but when one of us needs us, we are there to pull it together,or celebrate like its no body’s business!! Its really is the greatest feeling to know these woman have your back. I pray my daughter will grow up to have such a group of friends!

Your friends look like such wonderful,beautiful woman!!What a great idea to celebrate them!!

You are blessed to have such an amazing circle of friends. My circle is not so big but I treasure it just the same. Beautiful entry Kelle, its a blessing to sit back and say thank you for the people that help make you, YOU!

I love how you incorporated that yes, even though you all love each other and are there 100% for each other, we’re women – and we have our times of disagreement. Thanks for showing us your REAL life, and not a sugar coated version of it.

This is beautiful. While I love my husband deeply, there is something so special about “the net” of women we have in our lives. I have 2 nets – my “Ohio High School friends” and my KY friends. I don’t know where I would be without them. Thank you for allowing me this moment to appreciate them again and realize I need to tell them I love them.

Kelle, You are so blessed to have that “net” in your life! Over the years mine has became more like a few strings frayed and no longer holding together. I do hope that one day we will start to tie some knots and make it stronger though! Life sometimes has a way of working itself out and I look forward to being old ladies drinking foo foo drinks on the beach someday filling eachother in on what we all missed!

You are so lucky. I have longed to have a close network of women like you described and thought I had it with some friends, but a week before the birth of my son it all fell apart. I am truly jealous – but am pleased to know you realize how lucky you are and what a sacred bond you share with these women. It’s very unusual and should be cherished.

You are so lucky to have such an large and amazing group of friends. My net is much smaller, but I have two amazing freinds plus my sister who I would do anything for and they would do anything for me. You have inspired me to do something special for them to show how much I really love and appreciate them.

I LOVE the tutu and it would be perfect for my daughter’s princess partythis tear (She’s a week younger than Lainey)

See your large group of girlfriends truly exemplifies what kind of person you are. I strive to be the kind of friend that you are to yours. love your words, feelings and raw emotion. strange as it is, though we have never met, you force me to be a better friend, wife and mother. I just ordered an old book you read “a million miles in a thousand years” yesterday and cant wait to get it and open the first page 🙂 God blesses us in the most profound ways!Alexis

How blessed to have such a large net. It is beautiful! You have such a giving and loving spirit it doesn’t surprise me how large your true net is. 🙂 A great idea to get them all together and let the memories flow. We are expecting our first and she’s due in March! A girlie tutu is what every little girl should have. 🙂Have a wonderful day!

You are a blessed woman indeed. To have a room full of friends who love and support you…I hope you know how truly amazing that is. My net is filled with such different fish. They each are so unique and special to me. They each fill a different void.

Fantastic! You have the Net…we have the “Inner Circle.” It is such a gift to know I can rely on the strength of the Inner Circle when my strength is gone. I pray all women find a Net or Circle of their own. Thank you for sharing the beauty of yours.

Your net and your ability to love is a wonderful thing Kelle. I have a small circle now but since the birth of my daughter I am opening my heart to many new people and hope to create a wonderful net of my own. Take care.

I could only wish that one day all my girlfriends lived close enough to do this! What a fabulous night it must have been!!! You really do find out your true friends when life gives you challenges and you need someone to lean on for support!

How sweet and special, and how lucky you all are to have each other! My “net” has spread out geographically over the years and it’s a bummer at times when you’d love nothing more than to just be able to run over to her house…but it’s amazing that no matter how much time passes, when we are together we don’t skip a beat, not one. Those are the truest friends in the world.

I love how truly genuine your love isfor all your of friends. And how much you mean to them as well. It shows in every post how good of a person you truly are. I want to thank you for sharing all that you do on your blogs. It has become a part of my morning ruitual to check for new posts. I myself can relate in ways to your friend. I have been batteling infertility for over a year now. You have taught me it heals to speak about it… That’s why I started my own blog about my journeys. http://www.lettinglovegrow.blogspot.com

You and your “Net” are exactly what women should be for each other – supportive, loving, and non-judgemental. I truely believe you get what you give. I have just recently started reading your blog and its evident that you are exactly the type of friend that would weave “a net”. You are blessed.

ps: I am a mom to 4 littles that are becoming less and less little. My littlest little started kindergarten this year (my big little is in 6th grade). I have been looking to pick up a “hobby” – now that I have time to actually “think”. Your blog has inspired me to try to develop my photography skills. Your photos are beautiful!

As I was reading your post, I thought, “I want a ‘net'” Last year was such a bad year filled with broken relationships and broken hearts. I didn’t know if I’d make it through…but here I am, in a brand new year, with a hopeful heart.

In my mind, I’m already developing that ‘net’ and maybe one day, it will be a safe place of authentic friends with whom I can share.

Love the tutu’s! My almost 3 year old makes us dress up as princesses every day and this would be perfect to add to her wardrobe!Love having my NET of girlfriends! Looks like you have wonderful friends!

My heart leaps for you!I wouldn’t trade my fabulous girlfriends for the world! I’m moving from one side of Canada, to the top of it in a month (North West Territories) and I know that no matter the distance, the “nets” will be cast out in times of rough waters and stormy seas.

What an amazing night….My net is spread out, Im in Pa,and fortunatly have made 2 close friends here but my long time friends are all over..they are in Chicago, NJ, MD, & VA…and O how i miss them:( I dont know why I have never tried before, but you have inspired me to try and get us all together, for a wonderful night maybe weekend of fun:) Im so excited just thinking about it!!!!I also love the tutu’s my 19month old daughter would be to cute to handle in one:)

my net is very spread out…i’m in georgia and they are in ohio, d.c., and north carolina – but phone calls with yelling, screaming, crying, laughing work well. ndss is very lucky to have you in their net for those beautiful babies that are extra special. you go girl! and every little girl should have a tutu!

I love this post. It makes me miss my friends living far away. And those tutu’s are so cute! I just made one for my 3 year old, and am planning on making a newborn size one for our new baby who is arriving in march…but winning one would eliminate one of the things I have on my huge “to do before baby comes” list!

Amen sista! Girlfriends are the best 🙂 As a military family that moves often, sometimes it is difficult to foster tried and true friendships in the short time you spend in one place, but along with that fact, I have found fellow military wives to be a special breed 😉 They can definitely form a strong and widespread net, even if you haven’t known them long or even very well! Love that you pulled together such a special night to celebrate with your girls. You may have just started a grand wave of ladies nights!

So cool that you have so many women to support you! Everyone needs a net like that! Love the charm idea, my bff got us bracelets made and each charm represented us and our family members, I love it! We will be adding two more to them soon because she is having twins in July!

i think it’s so great that you have that amazing “net” of friends. i used to have one until we all got married & moved away. and with the distance & the paths life has taken us.. it’s been hard. and i miss it like crazy. you are blessed.

My Net is composed of my 3 biological sisters and my Mother, as well as a few girlfriends. They were there for me when I was enduring uncountable fertility treatments and the failures that followed. They dried tears and spoke encouraging words month after month, until my miracle baby was finally conceived. And I’ve had the chance to return the favor, as my sister is expecting my second niece, after 3 years of trying to conceive 🙂

I am so grateful to have a net like that. People that you can trust with your secrets, that laugh and cry with you. That aren’t jealous when you succeed, and are genuinely saddened when things go wrong.

I love that you invited your brand new friends to that celebration. What an amazing experience that must have been for them, and all of you.

I feel so lucky to read this post…to know there are really people/friends out there like you all! I myself have suffered numerous miscarriages, surgeries, self injections etc and would’ve loved so much to have a net like yours! You are one lucky girl!

Oh my gosh Kelle, this post totally spoke to me today. We lost our pregnancy two weeks ago at 14 weeks, what we thought was in the safe zone. My water broke and I just stood in the hallway staring thinking “This didn’t just happen. Not to us. Not our baby…” I cried all the way to the ER and as I delivered my baby. When the news got out that morning, I had “my net” surrounding me with love. To explain how the closest group of women in my life were there for me wouldn’t even begin to do them justice. The phone calls, the tears, the small little gifts, the items for my son, the women who told me their stories of loss, the sweet cards and notes that brought me to a lump of tears on the floor, and the out poor of giving during this time has been unreal. It doesn’t surprise me, but it just remind me of what I have in those women. Thank you for this post today. I needed to be reminded of what I have even through a hard time.

Goodness, you really know how to make a girl wanna pick up the phone and call her pals! I remember sitting around a symbolic campfire at Girl Scout camp, holding hand with my new friends and singing, “make new friends, but keep the old, one is silver and the other’s gold. A circle’s round, it has no end, that’s how long I want to be your friend.” Word.

Thank you for reminding me of the power of women and our love for each other. It’s easy to get caught up in the little things that aren’t important and sometimes difficult to spread that net to those in need. At some point in life we all need each other.

You are so blessed and lucky to have such a wide spread net. My net is wonderful too, just not as big as yours. What a wonderful way to celebrate women and all of our faults and triumphs and heartaches and loves. You are an incredible woman and they are just as lucky to have you as you are to have them. Thanks for sharing! 🙂

I love that you brought quilts (and snuggies!) to your restaurant party! How “home”y you make every place you are.It is where we feel safe enough to fall that our true friends are found – and those friends who help us rise again. Here’s to your amazing net – may it grow stronger with every use.Picturing tutu-themed 4 year-old’s Birthday this summer…-E

My Bff is my net. She lives 1,000 miles away but would drop everything if I needed her. My neighborhood ladies group is the other part of my net. We support and help each other all the time. Thanks for sharing your special night with all of us. susan

Thank you so much for this amazing post. I feel the need to share it with my own “net”. It inspires me to set aside some time to be “real” with my girlfriends and celebrate our complex, wonderful and long standing friendship.

I truly look forward to reading your blog every day, thank you so much for sharing and being honest.

Such a raw, beautiful post, Kelle. You are lucky indeed to have so many who support you. I don’t have one huge net like yours, but I am blessed to have 3 or 4 small ones….one being my mom and three sisters, another my close high school friends and a third my close college friends. Each net has about 5 members and each represents a slice of my life. I cherish them all. Thank you for reminding me of their power today. Big hugs to you!

What an amazing group of women you have! To be able to pull off a night like that, sounds like a great time. I have one little princess surrounded by four brothers, who I know would absoultly adore a new TuTu 🙂

Very new to your blog. Love it! Any woman would be blessed to have just one of these kinds of friends. 28? Your cup runneth over! I am truly jealous and happy for all of you to have such a close group of friends.

You have such a wonderful group of friends. I am happy that everyone comes together to support each other. It sounds like it would be an amazing experience. I only have a small group of female friends, but we would drop everything if we needed each other. Thank you for sharing all of your experiences with us.

It’s funny that I pulled up your blog and read this post at this moment. Just this morning I was having breakfast with three girlfriends and as I drove to work I was thinking about how lucky I am. They say that as you get older you have fewer friends, but better friendships. And while the better friendships part is true for me I think I have more friends. I am truly blessed to have all of these women in my life and I feel lucky! I’m glad you have that in your life too, we all need it!

Very new to your blog. Love it! Any woman would be blessed to have just one of these kinds of friends. 28? Your cup runneth over! I am truly jealous and happy for all of you to have such a close group of friends.

Listening to the beautiful music you’ve chosen for your blog while reading your inspiring words= great way to start my day. I think as our kids are born sometimes it can place a strain on friendships, thank you for putting things in perspective. I am so thankful for a certain circle of moms that have helped me as my new baby girl grows. Would love to buy that girl (Miss Lily age 5 months) a tutu!

Hi Kelle, Your words are so beautiful. Thank you for sharing your life with us, and inspiring me to be a better mother, sister, daughter, and friend. Wishing the best for you and your lovely family. Susie

Friends are such an amazing, necessary part of our lives! It’s easy to take them for granted at times. I’m so thankful for each of my dear sweet friends and the love and support we share. Sounds like you and yours had a night to remember!

What a perfect celebration of your friends. I have a group like that – women who drop things to help, watch each others’ children and take phone calls in the middle of the night. I’d be utterly lost without them. Heading over for lunch with a few of them right now. Reading your post made me a little weepy…hope I don’t cry into my Aloo Gobi 🙂

Reading this post reminded me of my net. And how important they are and how magical it is that we may not talk for months, but know we are there for each other in a heartbeat. And those Tutus! I’m sure my daughter and nieces would love them.

My net caught me last year when my 1 year old daughter contracted E Coli and spent a month in Intensive Care, fighting for her life. I am a single mom and my net is my family. Love your spirit and thank you for sharing it with us!

Women can be so tough on each other rather than supportive and real, but I know that often the ones possessing the loudest and most critical voice desperately WANT to be included in the net despite their actions/words. I’ve learned to try to reach out even more to those particular women when I encounter it. Definitely not the easiest of tasks, but I really think so many people are hurting and want the inclusion…they just don’t know how.I know you have come under criticism at times with the success of your blog. The thing I love about you is that you don’t retaliate. You are gracious, and continue being you. You “get it”, and I wish ALL women could too.You are a beautiful soul, and that is why you have such a strong net. I’m very glad you do!

I too endured miscarriages, surgeries, broken heart after broken heart, multiple ivf treatments for 5 years. My son is 25 months old now and I still can’t believe he is mine. Your words are incredibily inspiring. Thank you for putting yourself and your world out there.

This a beautiful post and I am sending the link to my Net. We have a dinner party planned for Feb 5 and it is turning into a sleepover, next morning-in-my-sunroom kind of thing so I know it will be wonderful.Wonderful friends are a true blessing.

And once again I sit with tears in my eyes because of your words. Because of how you reach deep down and say the things that are in all of our hearts and we just can’t find the words for. Kelle’s got wordz!

Thanks for the almost daily inspiration. I am trying to take care or a two year old and dealing with life and losing my mother any day now to cancer. Some days I don’t know that I will make it through, but reading your blog always helps!-Kellie-

I love this post. This is how I feel about my friends, they are always there for me during my good times and my bad times. Thank you for this post it brought a tear to my eye 🙂 And those tutu’s are so cute! I am about 8 months pregnant with my 1st who is a girl who I am sure will love having one 🙂

I honestly just lucked upon your blog yesterday and your honesty, warmth, wonderful writing and so much more drew me in. I am hooked.

Although your “Net” entry is about a much larger group of friends, I have two very close (like sisters) friends and you put into words exactly how I feel about them both.

I really don’t know what my life would be without them in it…the years fly by, but yet with every 365 days that get marked off in my book of life since I met them 27 years ago…there they were/are in some form or fashion by my side…good, bad, happy or sad…funerals, births, miscarriages, weddings. It is all intertwined in the memories of mind and they are a part of it all.

My “net” may not be as large as yours, but its string is just as strong. Thank you for sharing your wonderful net with all of us. Moreover, thank you for sharing yourself with all of us.

Aw, man! I’m totally bawling in my cubicle. I am about to leave a huge portion of my net while simultaneously returning to a huge part of my net. I am moving from Arizona back home to CA. Thank you for sharing this beautiful story.

I’m not surprised you have a net that stretches SO far. We readers like to think that we are a part of your net too. We cry with you, cheer with you, and as many of us showed you via the ONEder fund, we’ve got your back, too. 🙂 Bless you, Kelle! You constantly inspire me.

look at that net!!! wow!our night is about 8 wide.In sharing a love for “sex and the city” and the power of the girlfriend net, our net decided to do an annual getaway to our rocky mountains. we call it “sex and the rockies.”we are 8 friends getting together, piling into a minivan, driving 4 hours with little black dresses and wine in tote and when Sunday rolls around we all swear it as the “BEST WEEKEND EVER” and that we will reform our annual getaway to our monthly getaway but of course that never happens.

you are right kelle…..it is magic.If one day I am blessed with little girls I will teach them the importance of girlfriends because they are magic indeed!

I just to say Thank you! thank you for your beautiful words and your beautiful pictures. Thank you for helping a lot of people see the good things in life. you are an amazing woman and have some really great friends and family. Bless you all.

Why must you make me cry at work? I am thankful every day for my own “net” and I am so grateful to have stong women as role models for my own daughter. One day she too will join the net, or maybe she is already there.

Love, Love, Love this post (ok, not just this one, but every single one of your posts Kelle) and it reminds me of “The Net” that surrounds me each and every day!!! Thank you for putting it into words!!! You are A*MA*ZING and so is your “Net”. Thanks for sharing!!!

I’m so thankful for my “net” as well. My father took his own life in October and my second pregnancy isn’t going as smooth as we’d hoped. Our son is measuring in the 10th percentile so the doctors are keeping a close eye on his growth. But through this emotional roller coaster, my friends have been an amazing constant. Thank you for sharing your beautiful night.

After reading your blog for almost a year, I can always tell how you value your friendships. I can also tell how much they love you and support you and value you as well. I have read many (if not ALL) of your posts and I pray to find “a net” of friends like Heidi and Kelly and Nayda and even Nici, Libby and Sara who you met through your blog. I’m glad you took time out to honor them. You all deserve that evening. A powerful Net — Kudos to Kelly for thinking of such a sweet yet profound name for your “group”! They, at the very least, deserve a beautiful post such as this one! Amen to friendship — for I’m so grateful it was created. It truly is the family we get to choose! God bless you, your family and your very dear friends! May the friendships continue to deepen and last a lifetime! xoxo

Wow! truely amazing night… I shouldn’t read your words at work… now I am bawling like a baby… Thank you for your inspiration. I too, have a very close “net”… I wouldn’t be where I am today without them…

I ACHE for a Net like this one. I grew up watching my mom’s Net of 10 always there when needed, always supporting, always loving, and desperately wanted to form my own someday. I am still hoping and praying for it to happen but I am trusting one day I will jump and there will be a circle of friends there to catch me.

You truly are blessed to have such a wonderful network of friends. I too have a “net”…not on as grand of a scale as you do but my girls are definitely essential to my life. Thank you for sharing your story of celebration, you inspire me.

TO The Mac’s House (Teri)- Hey! Sounds like we are sort of in the same boat as they say, in not having a real Net, and yes, I, too, don’t want to add to my hubby’s stress at times. And it is a challenge to put so much on one person, huh? I love how you said, and I will echo, hugs to the fellow non-netters. I have a feeling there are many of them out there in the world. I have found the people here, the “regulars” especially, and Poppa Rik, this little community to be an ocassional net, and very supportive. Take care.

I so enjoy your blog. I’ve been following since your initial post about Nella! What a beautiful, wonderful family you have and share with us. I know I don’t know you, but I feel like I do. You and your girlfriends are awesom! Your daughters are blessed to have an amazing mom!

From my thirty years on this earth…the one thing that I can always gaurantee is my circle “of net friends”. My best friend not only did we meet on the first day of kindergarten but we are also born on the same day…5 minutes apart!! Glad that you had ladies had a great night!! I wouldn’t trade/change anything about my girls!! Heaher Lavigne from Saint John, NB

I love my NET too! They are an amazing part of my life and I was reminded of them while reading your post. Think it’s time we had our own get together to share tears and “I love yous”. Can’t imagine my life without them.

My daughter is 7 1/2 months old and when I read about your net, I immediately thought about how she is my net. She came into my life quite unexpectedly and changed everything. She made my life complete. She taught me real love, patience, compassion, and understanding. I traded in my stilettos and diamonds for sippy cups and diapers. She.. the little body that so innocently came into this world, has my heart in her hand forever.

thank you for showing me what it truly means to be a friend. i just started reading your blog a few days ago and feel so inspired to ENJOY THE SMALL THINGS in life. i hope i can begin to take this approach on life. thank you for being so real and sharing your life.

WOW – “Nets” are wonderful aren’t they? I have recently gotten to re-experience the power of the NET when my husband and I just had our second miscarriage. My girls (as I like to call them) were there to help me through – whether it be a long distance phone call that lasted hours – sending love and hugs over the phone as I sobbed and asked “WHY ME”, or a “logistically available” sister that held me as I cried and she reminded me that “We will get through this together”, I realized that life is full of heartbreak, but these “Nets” are what helps us put the pieces back together and continue to look for the promise in tomorrow. I am so happy to see the love and support that you have been able to share with your girls and am forever thankful to mine….Sarah, Beth, Mandi, Anissa, Whitney, Sherry, Kelly, Michelle, Renee, and well, I can’t forget my hubby too. Thanks to all of you in my “Net”.

Good girlfriends are so hard to find…I’ve always wanted a strong group of friends just like you described…always there no matter what. I’ve only been reading your blog for a couple weeks but I feel like I know you so well…like your a great friend. Your words, your pictures are absolutely amazing.

I’ve been enjoying your blog! I found a link to it from a friend of mine and it really sparked something in me. Though I have to admit that I have to keep coming back to relight that spark. I have 2 amazing children and I’m working on being a good mom. I mean, sure I’m a good mom, but you know what it’s like…you always know you can do better, and it’s hard to avoid focussing on faults sometimes.

Anyways, thanks for your blog…and for your soundtrack! I usually read what you have to say and then leave the page open to listen to the music throughout my day.

I still get teary-eyed when I see the pictures of you after Nella’s birth. It is so obvious that you were going through a very difficult adjustment. My second daughter is due on March 21st and I know that, because of you, I’ll be ready to survive anything that happens when she’s born. Thank you.

Kelle – once again, thank you for opening up to “us” and for stirring emotion! I have a girls ski weekend coming up in April and you have given me the inspiration to make sure those women know how dear they are. Much love to you and yours

Wow. Just wow. I can’t help but think of my own net as I read this. Some have been with me since childhood, some came later. Many came into my life after my losses. They are all exactly what I need, on any given day. We have shared it all and are just weeks away from celebrating my longer for little girl. Thank you for reminding me of how much I love them all. And that I need to tell them that!

What a fun post, it made me think about my “net.” I too am lucky to have a wonderful net. Good girlfriends are an amazing gift, I love how you can go for long periods of time and still be able to pick up where you left off. Timing of this blog entry hit home with me. An old friend contacted me earlier this week, we havent been extremely close in years but used to be. She is going thru a yucky divorce and she needs me. I am one of those she considers in her net. and I feel blessed that I am….gah-now I’m crying at work. LOL.

I live in TX and have no family here so I say it everyday that friends are the family we choose for ourselves…looks like you have a very beautiful network of family and friends…love the party and charm idea!

We are lucky women, you and I. You call yours “The Net” and I call mine “The Crew”. So many girls do not have what we have. I feel so lucky to not only be surrounded by amazing women that inspire me, but also to have the opportunity to teach my little girl what true friendship looks like.

Kelle, I LOVED this post because I too have a Net. And one of my friends was caught by this net last year when her baby passed of cancer at only 44 days old. I have two friends right now being caught by the net, one going through a marriage crisis and one who just lost her Dad.

But our net is new and fresh and raw and scary. And some of us have a harder time seeing the net for as strong as it, or for as durable as it is. Some spend too much time questioning their place in the net, or jockeying for position. Some focus too much on the times when our strong opinions and our needs to be validated and the fact that we are all strong women sometimes does lead to hurt feelings.

But slowly most of “our net” is realizing that under it all there is love. And we will hurt each other from time to time. But there is love there. And we are imperfect human beings. And forgiveness and understanding for your friends when they are their weakest or their worst is just as important as love and acceptance when they are at their best. So I believe our net is strong and I am proud to have these 16 women in my life. I would be lost without them. And when it is my turn to fall into the net and be caught, I know they will be there.

This is a lovely idea and I am so glad you were able to celebrate each other.

Ah…the power of a net. I am blessed to have a net, as well — filled with wonderful, beautiful women — who are all so different but the same. My net is strong — mostly in part to the strength and beauty of my sister – who really is at the very core of my support system. And — I would love, love, love a tutu to gift to her little princess. (I have a son – but SO love things all pink and girly — a perfect excuse to spoil my niece.)

From someone who is struggling with infertility admist a world of amazingly fertile other people, I know that it meant the world and back to her that she had you as a support through those years of struggle and loss. I do not have a “net” of girlfriends in real life (only a couple), although there is a huge infertility blog community- but I wish many days that I had a net of girls I could meet up with like you (she) did. God bless you!!

I love the thought of “The Net!” My friends (my true call-in-the-middle-of-the-night-hysterical-crying-friends) are spread out over the entire planet. You are blessed to be so close to yours. I also love the charm idea, I may have to steal it! I’ll give you credit, promise!!

Oh! Our Mylie would LOVE a tutu!! She likes nothing better than to dress up with her older sisters and to dance around the living room to whatever music the kids will put on. She can even get her older brother to dance with her!! 😉 Since she has joined our lives, we’re all learning to celebrate the everyday – the moments that are so “normal.”I’m learning through your blog that the ordinary moments ARE what make up the extraordinary life. Thank you!

Amazing ….My net isnt as big, but it does the same.Glad we are part of you net too!!!Love the TUTUS going to check them out , they will be perfect for my littles “alice in wonderland” bday party .Love and Blessingsthe doughtys

What a beautiful entry! I have to admit that I am completely jealous of your large “net” of friends. You are very blessed and really do inspire me. On another note after looking at the Etsy shop with the tutus I am in LOVE! I have a daughter that is now 6 months and I would L.O.V.E to see that darling in a tutu on her first birthday! I have a little boy also but there is something special about sharing those dress up times with a little girl!

Kelle, it’s 6am here in Aus, and I MUST raise my cup of coffee & say a big CHEERS to this post 🙂 You & your friends are AMAZING!! The support of girlfriends is a power that only women can understand. I’ve often referred to my friends as 2 groups…friends without husbands/children & my friends with bubs…but then in times of need {like my pregnancy loss last year or when my 2 yr old was in hospital} my friends..all of them! RALLIED & were there for ME! And that made me realise that it doesn’t matter if they are living a lifestyle like me or not….we’re all women, we’re all friends and we’re all in this together! xoP.S. I LURVE the charm idea!

Kelle, you are so blessed to have such and extensive net. I have to say I am supremely jealous. I can only think of a couple of people who fit that description and they aren’t close to me (geographically). I am going to try harder and harder to reach out more and gather a net around myself. Also, I just wanted you to know that I have three beautiful (if I do say so myself) girls who will just adore a tutu if I happen to win 🙂 Thanks again!Melissa

So happy for you and your family while you are celebrating this wondrous year that Nella brought you all. I now have a little girl and am slowly getting used to the idea for “accessories”, and, the tutu is well, an easy YES! Again, congrats on your blog, your happiness, and your grace.

thank you so much for sharing those words. I often tell my girls that there are no words to describe how thankful i am that they are in my life – and you just did it for me! I shared your post with them! You always bring tears to my eyes – happy tears!!! Thanks Kelle!

I read your story several months ago and was blown away by the raw emotion and honesty your gave. I was just reuinted with your blog through a friend and I just had to leave a comment and let you know how incredible you, your story, and your sweet girls are. I have a daughter and she is an incredible gift and its a blessing and encouragement to see you write out your love for your girls on this beautiful blog. Keep writing because your spirit, energy and love is contagious! And I LOVE the idea of the Net and gathering to celebrate each other! Thanks for sharing and being brave enough to be honest.

Stop making me cry. Wait, don’t. I like it. lol I’m jealous of your net. I want a Net. I guess I have a net, just a much, much smaller net. I do. Life just gets in the way…I’m good about keeping up with my friends, but some are not so much….

I found myself tearing up at your amazing Net. Though I have quite a few less members in my net and are spread out from one end of Nova Scotia to the other they have strong fibers to catch each other when we fall. Braided in such a way that in record time we can pull together and help in a moments notice. How lucky are we?!?

I am so inspired by your blog! I love this last post about your “net” You are so lucky to have all these wonderful women in your life. It makes me reflect on the women in my life and wan to love on them and thank them for how they add to mine.

You are so blessed to have such a large net of friends. My security nets are miles away, yet when I need to call on them, they are there – just like they have been for the last 34 years. True friends are blessings and I love seeing that you have such a strong net. 🙂

Those tutus are adorable!!! I have two sons so getting to dress a little one in tutu for a photo session is always exciting!

sounds like an amazing evening!!i’d love a little tutu for my little one-day ballerina!! 🙂 after 2 boys, i’m all about my baby girl being as pink and girly and over the top cutesy as possible! 🙂(and thankfully, my husband doesn’t mind!)

Love “the net” and all of those beautiful faces in every picture. Every post radiates your love and the pure happiness that you have found. You are so blessed to have such a great support system but the are also so blessed to have you in their lives. I can think of around 10,000+ friends who follow your blog who would also be in that room with you if they could. You are so very loved, Kelle!xoxo

P.S. So glad you added the addendum! Love the idea of sharing a part of yourself with each other. I wonder how you come up with all of your great ideas!

My “Net” has carried a HEAVY load for me this past 6 months, but not a single fray! LOVE supportive friends! They even read your blog at my request…so that I wouldn’t have to talk, because I didn’t have the words. So, I guess you’re a strand in my net, too!!! Isn’t that cool?

I love that you shared your story about your “net”. I too have an amazing “net”. It is so important to have friends that will be there to pick you up and help you through the good and bad. I love your charm idea, it seems so meaningful. 🙂

you are truly an inspiration. i love that everything you do is from the heart. weather it is going for beer and wings or gathering your net together for a memorable night. i feel just as lucky being able to read how awesome you are. Thanks Kelle!Love the tu-tus!

ohhhh, I love this post. My Net is absolutely priceless to me as well! Not quite as big as yours, but equally generous!!!! The tutus are awesome. I am a photog and would love to have one for my granddaughter and one to use as a prop!!!! You get the best stuff! Darling!

WOW is such a minor word that barely nicks the surface of my amazement and jealous (to be honest) of your NET. Women are amazing creatures and so often we “take each other down”… sometimes without even knowing. It is empowering to see such a large group of women uniting as one group. As an elementary school teacher I too often see the ugly side. Thank you for sharing, you have lifted my spirits and hope to shed fresh light to create a stronger and more supportive NET.

Have you ever read the book, The Girls from Ames? Your group s reminds me so much of the group of 12 friends who host get togethers similar to the one you described once a year and really celebrate their friendships, heartaches, and love for each other.

I’m a 60 y.o. grandma (well, OK, so I turn 61 on Mon.) of 4 “grands” (1 little darlin’–Calla Grace–w/ Ds). I’ve got 2 “nets”: a group of 7 from h.s. (we’re pretty spread out, but we get together at least once a year for a 3-4 day getaway) and a group of 5 here in my town. Don’t know how I’d survive w/o both groups of “besties”!!!

Thanks for reminding me of how blessed we are for being women surrounded by the love, support, tears, prayers, laughter of other women!

Isn’t it amazing how true friendships between women evolve into this network of strength and beauty and love? I always appreciate the fact that my different groups of women friends can come together to celebrate or grieve or just sit with one another. It is truly seamless.

This made me miss my net! I cried as I realised how much I missed a few special women in my life becuase they are so far away. Now that I think about it they really aren’t that far away. I know no matter what I can pick up the phone and call them for anything. When we do get to see each other it is like we were only away for the night. I have slowly started to pluck new star to add to my net and I am realizing how lucky I am to have each one of these special people in my life.

This made me miss my net! I cried as I realised how much I missed a few special women in my life becuase they are so far away. Now that I think about it they really aren’t that far away. I know no matter what I can pick up the phone and call them for anything. When we do get to see each other it is like we were only away for the night. I have slowly started to pluck new star to add to my net and I am realizing how lucky I am to have each one of these special people in my life.

unfortunately most of my net met in japan and now are spread out in europe, australia and the mid east. thank goodness for skype so i can share my new baby girl with them in real time. p.s. would love love love to photograph her in one of those tutus!

So good to hear about your Net. I lived in a house with 6 other girls one year. 9 different girls over the course of two years lived there. 2417 S. 2nd St. They are my 2417 girls and are just like your Net.

i absolutely adore reading your blog. i could read it all day every day! my best friend and i were talking the other day about how it’s delicious food for the soul! i wake up every morning with some hot tea and i cant wait to see what treasures lie in your writing. you have an obvious love of life that i think is so contagious and i think you really make an impact on all your readers, especially me. great work!

I had a big net when my water broke at 21 weeks while I was carrying my twin girls. I was hospitalized for 7 weeks and in that time I kept an on-line journal. I got daily comments, some from people I had never met. My girlfriends decorated my hospital room, took turns sending cards, visiting, etc…I swear that is why my miracle babies survived when they were only given a 5% chance of seeing the light of day. I thank God every day for that net.

We call it “The Village” here. You know when the $^!* hits the fan, The Village is gonna close ranks and move in. The Village provides whatever you need, and trust me, just knowing they’re out there helps me sleep a little better. They lifted me up when my nephew was killed in Afghanistan and then 4 months later when my Mom unexpectedly died they drug me back to life, even when I wanted to curl up and die. I firmly believe every woman needs their Net or Village. Some are large, some are small, but all are equally important and necessary. So glad you have your Net and I wouldn’t trade my Village for all the Diet Coke in the kingdom…and that’s saying a lot!

I always thought when I moved to the States, I would find my “Net” when I had my fist child. Alas, I travel on the road FULL TIME, so my Net is there, but lives through skype, phone calls and interent.

Every woman needs a good Net. Hope those that don’t are inspired to go a get a good catch!

I always thought when I moved to the States, I would find my “Net” when I had my fist child. Alas, I travel on the road FULL TIME, so my Net is there, but lives through skype, phone calls and interent.

Every woman needs a good Net. Hope those that don’t are inspired to go a get a good catch!

What a wonderful post, Kelle. It inspires me to try to find some way… any way to try to get some of my girls together. My closest friends are scattered around the country and I would love to have a night like what you planned. Beautiful.

You are so blessed to have a great net, none of my friends know each other really and thats hard! My sweet girl Clare loves tutus and at 17 months says, “tutu are you?!” its so sweet-she’d love another one!

Ain’t God good? He knows just the right people to have cross our paths due to the needs in our lives. I’ve had a great friend for 39 years (since 1st grade)!!! At times in our lives, we have been at differing points and had many miles between us. However, it seems like we just pick up the conversation wherever we left off. Friends are to be celebrated!

Kelle – This is my first time commenting, but I have been inspired by your blog for several months now since I discovered it. I was so delighted to learn that you have a Lainey. I do as well! (She is my baby – 11 months).

This was a beautiful post and I loved your characterization of the “net.” I find that my net is even more important now that I have children. I need and crave that deep understanding that sometimes only other women can provide. My “net” is cast widely geographically, and while it makes the world a smaller place, sometimes I miss the daily, proximate presence of my girlfriends that I have enjoyed at other times in my life.

Thank you for another inspiring post. Looks like you had a beautiful and uplifting celebration.

LOVE this post!!! A “net” of friends is one of the most precious life-giving things this world has to offer! Thank you for your honesty and your beautiful words that encourage the soul.

The tutus are lovely and I would love one for my only daughter who turns six in a couple of weeks. Time flies so fast. I think all women deserve a tutu, young and old alike. We are all pretty princesses at heart.

Its great to have that kinda net to catch you. I too have a great net & cherish it everyday. Strangely enough I had a dream about you the other night…after reading the post on Nella’s Birthday. We talked & our girls played together….random but comforting.

Recently found your blog and have fallen in love with your writing and your sweet girls. I’m a single girl surrounded by lots of fake nephews and nieces given to me by my best friends. Would love a tutu for my newest niece who shares the same birthday with sweet Nella.

I only just found your blog in the last couple of weeks, but I just have to say I have read every post you have done since the begining. I have laughed and cried right along with you. Thank you for sharing your life with us you have shared so much.Thank you also for doing the giveaways that you do also.I love those braclets and wish I had a “Net” like you. I have friends, but nothing like that.

I first read your blog in october 2010…not realising the signifigance it would soon have to me. A few days later I went into labor and after 46 hours delivered my beautiful surprise down syndrome baby girl…your blog was going through my mind and it was like a dream, it couldn’t be real, I had just read this story…now it is happening. Thanks to you I was able to handle it better than I thougt, God used you to prepare me! And that was just the beginning my girl spent 6 weeks in the NICU with jaundice and feeding issues, and I separated my pubic bone an had other injuries from her taumati delivery…her cord was twisted around her whole body, we could have lost her and me so many times. I spent 11 of the longest days of my life stuk in a hospital bed in pain away from my two big girls 2 &3 nd great difficulty to get to ava. Long story short. You inspire me. Your words and pictures are so real and wonderful! I’m startig to walk with a walker and am able to be with my girl. Hubby has to be home from work to care for us all…what a journey we’ve had. I’m so blessed to have found you! God bless you an your precious girls!!! Keep on!

I cried when I first discovered your blog. And I cried again when I read Nella’s birth story aloud to my husband. Thank you for your beautiful words. I am so happy to have found your blog and gotten to ‘know’ your wonderful family.

also I love that you have such a big net. Mine is small, but in recent times i’ve needed it so much! I love you creativeness from nella’s party to this get together. I find hope in you. One day our family will be able to function properly again…i will walk and run with my girls…for now I’m happy that we have life. And I too hope to share my story with the world someday

I love it! You are so blessed to have the Net, I think it is exactly what I needed last year and even now. It is great when women can come together instead of bringing others down – I think what have is the opposite of the net – which is sad to me. I try to reach out and yet feel that none of the women around care – others have babies they are there, their kids have a party etc and it is tough for me. I do think that I would love to have a net but with the right people, not people who bring me down and make me feel that I am not good enough to be a part of their group. I do feel blessed by the people I do have even if most are far away – there are a few and they are the best. I love the charm idea very cool – even if they do get tucked away they will hold a great memory for each that when it is taken out – they can smile and remember the great night they had. Love the tutus – my 3 yr old daughter Patyon loves to spin around saying ballerina – so cute.

It’s really great that you have such an amazing group of friends. Having a support system like that makes all the difference in the world! I know I would’ve been lost without my friends over the years.

I was listening to a song today and I thought you might appreciate it. It’s called “The Curse” by Josh Ritter on his album “So Runs the World Away”. I like the whole album, but that one song is my favourite 🙂

Oh this post is so touching and so beautiful! I am so lucky to say that we have something similar here in Sacramento and we call ourselves the “Sisterhood”…the women in our sisterhood are not sisters by blood but something even deeper I swear. It’s a beautiful and rare thing….I hope your “Net” continues for years and years and years!

I have a net like yours- with a wonderful group of blog girlfriends. They are amazing and I count on them so much. I loved this post- no matter who we are or where we live, woman connect in the same kind of way. I love those tutus as well! I have some nieces who would love them, my son probably would as well!

While reading this entry I closed my eyes, and tried to take myself to where you and your ‘net’ was that night! I so miss the nights of girlfriends gathered around with a glass of wine, enjoying the raw greatness of being women!! I’m glad you had such fun, and next time, I hope I’m invited :o) Thanks for bringing back such amazing memories for me!

I have just been introduced to your blog by a friend a little over a week ago and I am completely inspired and utterly addicted. Your daughters are truly beautiful, little angels who I have no doubt will grow up to be amazing human beings with such a loving, nurturing home.

Thank you for your honest and beautiful words, for the way you love your family with your whole being and for your amazing photography. I hope you know what an inspiration you are.

I’d be lost without my net. And now my lovely baby boy is gaining his own net! They might just be crawling, sitting, babbling and drooling already, but I hope that his new friends will always stand by his side — just like their mommies have helped me these past few months.

Kelle…I’ve only been following your blog for about 3 months now.I LOVE it. You are truly inspiring, it makes me want to ‘suck the marrow’ out of all the little moments in life like you do.:) Loved this post, there’s nothing like a good friend!! Love the tutu’s! I may buy one for my baby girl (Due March 16) I’m a very excited first time Momma. Thanks for sharing in your blog!

Your words and photos have inspired me to start a “net”. I know SO MANY woman that feel alone, it just makes sense for all of us to get together and be there for each other. Thank you for sharing and letting us into your world. I feel like I already know you and your children.

loved this..but I think your net is so much bigger since the “Inter-net” has made you part of our lives..I would say you would need a small stadium to host a party with all you “inter-net” girfriends. Now that would be amazing! I am praying for Libby like crazy…her story made me remember a time in my life..new baby, scary words from doctors and the suffocating uncertainty..but 7 years later because of all the prayers and borrowed faith from my friends and total strangers I am here loving my girl. Libby is an amazing person and I am totally in love with her faith and attitude.Cheers and raising a glass of wine to you and your incredible journey and to the love that you have given here on this blog. ♥

You’re always making me tear up. Love your ideas and that you follow your vision. I am jealous of your Net and party. Your world is beautiful. And you make it all look so easy! Love the tutus, but with 2 boys, I’m the only one in the house who’d be excited for something like that!

I love your charm idea for celebrating with your “net”. It’s so thoughtful and inspiring… I may have to steal it to use with mine! And I love the tutus… my little girl has her 1 year birthday coming up and I can’t think of a better party outfit.

I literally just cried through your whole post, but it was a good cry. In the last 2 years I have found my ‘net’. I’m sad I didn’t have them when I was a new mommy lonely for some girlfriends. But I have them now and I’m not letting go. I can’t wait to plan some fun girl time like this!

What a fabulous joy filled post. You are blessed to be a net and to have one as well. My husband is my net, no question about it. I thoroughly enjoyed my visit to your love blog. Congratulations on having so many followers, what a blessing to touch so many with your posts. Count me in I’m following now too. Also posting your button on my blog’s favorites page. Wishing you continued happiness, Katherine

I am an avid follower because I find so much truth and love in your words, and I honestly cannot get enough of your photography. Your NET is so beautiful, and I cried as I read, thinking of my own women. My friends, my sister, my mother, who have been by my side as I walk a journey I did not ask for. They are there. Strong and beautiful. To remind me that my journey is also their’s. And that we have so much to be thankful for.

You make me want to be better — a better mother, a better friend, a better person all together. I want to be part of a “Net” of women to build support for those going through the smallest or biggest of challenges, and you have just inspired me to start one!

It is so amazing how your words can jump off of a page and bring tears of joy to my eyes almost every time I read one of your posts =) You are a true inspiration to women and mothers of all walks. Thank you for sharing your beautiful family and life with the world. This is my first post (finally!), but I have been an avid reader for many months now (and enjoy reading archived posts as well) =)

I use to love getting together with my friends. They love you no matter what. Now we all live apart from each other but I still know that if I need to talk they are only a phone call or an email away. That kind of friend is priceless 🙂

Your posts have such a way of giving me that warm fuzzy feeling inside. Bringing emotions to a to forefront and letting them pour out, if only for the time I’m reading. You certainly have an amazing group of friends. You are a very lucky woman 🙂 I wish I could be part of a “net” like that 🙂 I have my close friends but as we grew up and gone our seperate ways and moved to different states, etc, our closeness has started to grow apart. When we get together it’s like we were never apart, but the time together is so few and far between now adays and quite honestly that sucks :oP There are times, especially now with my own little one and all the emotions that come with that,I wish I had a net like that.

I love your blog, and I love all that you’re doing for down syndrome. I love reading about your special days and your every day days. Reading your blog while my daughter naps or is asleep for the night is a highlight for me 🙂

And on a small tangent… I love your parties you throw for your little ones. I’ve been contemplating ideas for my daughters first birthday in May, and I love seeing what you do 🙂 Ours will be a bit tone down in comparison. We’re on a very tight budget, but I hope to pull of as magical of a day as it appears you do.

I just started reading your blog from the top. It has already influenced me for the better. My little girl crawled in bed with us the other night ,normally I would lead her back to hers( since becoming a mommy I am a very light sleeper). But I decided to forgo some sleep this night and enjoy the “simple things” like frozen tiny toes in my ribs. Keep writing and inspiring… Angela

My husband and I are lucky to each have nets – some fibers overlap, others are independent – but they’re mighty nets. Thanks for reminding me we should stop and raise a glass to our nets, and tell them how we feel.

I have only read two of your posts…one from one year ago and the one for today–Thank you LIA for sending me the link. I was so deeply moved and inspired that I had to share your story…I was so connected that I relived the feeling that I had when I had my yougnest daughter. The pain, the fear, but also, the love. I thank God for my net–my sister-in-laws and my very best friends.

what a beautiful tribute to friendship kelle and what a special weekend!! so sorry i wasn’t there but know that i love being a little tiny part of your lovely “net” and for the memories we share….folding laundry on your couch while you were on bed rest, pretending to be your cleaning lady one afternoon, relaxing breakfast get togethers, park trips and of course spending time with our little girls. nella’s birthday bash was a hit. sammy had a blast! love you!

I found your blog today through i heart faces, and I’m so glad I did! You are an amazing writer! I have laughed and cried reading some of your posts today. What a great reminder of really being blessed with wonderful children and supportive friends! Thank you!

I wish mt Net was closer. The small group I have a spread pretty far. But we all know when we’re in need someone will be there! Those tutus are too stinkin’ cute! My girl would love one to do her “dinsin” (dancing) in 😉

I get teary eyed almost every time I read your posts (whether happy or sad, possibly the prego hormones too), but I love reading and feel like you are a combination of my friends all rolled into one – a great mom, a strong and reliable friend, a loving wife and a little bit of goofball. Thanks for sharing and inspiring us!

I get teary eyed almost every time I read your posts (whether happy or sad, possibly the prego hormones too), but I love reading and feel like you are a combination of my friends all rolled into one – a great mom, a strong and reliable friend, a loving wife and a little bit of goofball. Thanks for sharing and inspiring us!

I get teary eyed almost every time I read your posts (whether happy or sad, possibly the prego hormones too), but I love reading and feel like you are a combination of my friends all rolled into one – a great mom, a strong and reliable friend, a loving wife and a little bit of goofball. Thanks for sharing and inspiring us!

I’m going to steal your term “net” We have lived in the south for a little over a year and are just now forming our new net, and it’s a beautiful thing the strengthening of ties and growing of family where you are! Thanks for the new title! Love you and your beautiful words!

What a beautiful net you have. And how lucky we all are that, no matter what our family circumstances are (and from reading your blog its obvious that you are blessed with a fabulous and loving family as well), we can always create a loving and supporting net for ourselves. You are doing a good thing by cherishing and nurturing your net!

I loved this post so much! I think it is an amazing idea to get together the women in your life that inspire, love and amaze you in so many ways. You have definately got me thinking of ways to show the wonderful friends in my life how much I love and appreciate them!

As always, this is so beautifully written, the pictures speak volumes and your girls are so sweet!

i see it so fitting that in the 3rd picture down (of you holding Nella and a friend is sitting on the bed) that the picture above the bed is of a mother loving her 2 daughters. wonderfulness was around you before you knew it.

This post brings me to tears….I have walked in your friend Kelly’s shoes. Those painful steps down the yelow brick road full of potholes, deep with miscarriage, infertiloity and loss.

You all had the “net” and I am blessed to be part of the Fab 5. Five women who combined have 11 angels that soar above. Five complete strangers who forged an eternal bond of FAITH, HOPE, STRENGTH and LOVE. Five friends who have tied eachothers ROPEs countless times, endured loss, prayed together, held strong through IVF cycles, welcomed a new baby and are awaiting the arrival of 2 more miracles.

Our friendships were created in heaven and I KNOW yours were too 🙂 I found your blog during the depths of infertility and I can honestly say that Nella’s story, your story, gave me so much perspective. That LIFE is not perfect, but really, what is? Thank you from the bottom of my heart for sharing yourself with us.

I haven’t read the comments, so many I would be here all day, how amazing.

Can you tell me the significance of the quilt I see in the photos..?? I’d love to know…quilts represent so many things from so many different people, I am hoping this one has a special story attached to it.

I think it is important for everyone to have a Net. I have had the same net for 14 years. It’s only 3 of us, and even though we don’t live near each other anymore, we are always still there for each other! =) Cheers to Nets!

As usual, your post had me in tears. I feel this way about the circle of friends that surrounded me when Chloe was diagnosed with Leukemia in 2006. I think we need to do something like this to celebrate our sisterhood. Thanks for sharing and making me realize whats important in my life

I have been following your blog for a while and I am always so moved and touched by your words and photographs. I have been in tears many times reading your blog and today as I read this post I had to email my closet friends to thank them and say I love you, because they too are my net! Thank you for bringing something wonderful into my life with your words!

i wish so much i had a “net” like yours! i’m sure you realize what an amazing and rare blessing it is to have such a large, amazing group of friends.you guys make me want to move to naples! 🙂p.s. your girls are, as always, precious and perfect… especially in those tutus… im sure my little one would love to have twirl in one of those!

This is beautiful. Your net seems so wonderful! I just can’t tell you enough how inspiring your outlook on life is to me. You are a star, shining bright, that leads others to shine along with you. Thank you…

I have to say that I am jealous! Your sisterhood sounds amazing to be a part of! The everyday of being a woman, a partner, a wife, a mother – just a good person in general – is easier when you have true & honest friends! Your blog is very inspiring and I am very happy to have found it. At the risk of bringing down the wrath of a large part of the internet on myself, I do have to express some feelings that I have though. It seems that virtually every entry has to include baby Nella in it somewhere. It seems as though she, as well as spreading Down Syndrome awareness, has become the sole focus of the blog. Both subjects are wonderful, each in their own right and for their own reasons, but I was curious if this was an intentional shift. I can only imagine, but having not experienced it first hand, cannot begin to truly comprehend what a vast change came over your family the afternoon on which your daughter was born. To say it was life changing is merely the tip of the iceberg. I also realize that living with a special needs child touches every single aspect of your life, from the day-to-day to the far-from-now future, therefore not touching on the topic would be unrealistic as well as difficult at best. Having caught up on older blog posts, courtesy of your archives, many focused on a variety of subjects, many about the lovely Lainey! I feel as though she isn’t the focus as much any more though, that the tone & fervor in which you wrote of her isn’t quite the same and that makes me feel a bit disappointed. All children are amazing and each is an equal fountain of potential; whether they’re special needs or not is irrelevant. I can imagine that as the parent of a child growing up w/ a sibling w/ special needs or even as the sibling of a child battling a serious ailment, you would worry about them feeling “left out” or as though they weren’t focused on more or as much as before because they are lacking whatever made their sibling require so much extra attention; that they weren’t as “special”. That would be a constant and looming fear for me. That my child would feel as though they were growing up in the shadow of their more “special” sibling. Can you share with us how you are handling this now or expect to handle this as Lainey gets older? I want to really stress that I do not want you to read any ill-intentions or malice in this comment. I only wanted to express my opinion and hopefully get yours. I have absolutely no judgement in my heart or mind for you and your beautiful family. You have been nothing but inspiring to me and I am truly grateful to have found your blog.

Loved reading about your Net. The strength, sweetness and beauty of sisterhood, it doesn’t get much better than that. It makes me miss so much my BFF from growing up (she lives far away but oh how I would love girls night out with her and also playdates with our little girls).

My 3 year old little girl (a May birthday girl like Lainey) would LOVE one of those tutus. Thanks for a chance at winning one if we’re really lucky! 🙂

I forget how I came across your blog, but am inspired daily by your beautiful words and beautiful family. As a soon to be first time who spent most of her pregnancy on bedrest I thank you for sharing your life with me.

Reading this at 230am totally sleep deprived with a screaming baby that just wants to be held is NOT a good idea. I was pretty much bawling!

I wish I had a net half as big as yours. I’m looking at being alone with the kids for the next year while hubby is away playing Army and I am scared to death. My net is made up of a handful of ladies all over the country but here where I am I feel very alone and it scares me.

The pic of you and Heidi in your hospital bed says it all. I’m lucky to know that Heidi is pretty much Heaven on Earth. But without even knowing it, you can tell from that picture. She has ownership of you, if just for the photo’s sense in that moment in time. It looks to me like she’s going to protect you, and Nella, forever. We all need a friend like that. Owning a friend for that reason, if just for the most important moments, is good. Really good, if you ask me. xoxoxox

I was just introduced to your blog through a friend and I could not be happier about it!!! I rarely comment on famous blogs but wanted to leave a comment to let you know you are truly inspiring and I could read your blog all night long….it is real, beautiful, and just makes me smile. Your children are beautiful! As a new momma in Jan 2010 as well you inspire me. Thank you!

I am inspired, I shed tears, I am uplifted, I jus adore your blog. As a mother of a child with special needs, I am still embracing her disability. You are an amazing woman, mother, friend and so very lucky to have an amazing “Net” around you

TO ibfoster-AMen! i SO agree; I think you NAILED it! To CLAIRE- oh, I am so glad your little one is ok; how hard that must have been, to go thru. And To Toby, I am sorry to hear about your mom, it is a lot to handle. You are in my prayers. It is quite a community/village we have here thru Kelle! from the Blog Mama

I just started reading your blog the other day and am so touched by your story. I feel as though your Net of friends definitely goes well beyond the group you had with you that night – it seems to span the globe. Friends are the siblings that we are able to pick for ourselves, the ones we allow into every meaningful moment we have. You are so lucky to be able to bring so many together at one time. Beautiful party idea!

I think it’s awesome that you have your group of girls. I also think it’s a testament to the kind of person you are. I’m reminded of a saying I heard somewhere…”If you going out looking for a friend you can’t find one anywhere, if you go out looking to be a friend you find one everywhere.” That group of 28 (28!!) says to me that you are an amazing friend. So glad you have the Net and I’m certain they are blessed to have you too.

Like all women, I too have a net. While it grows every year, I have 7 women in my life who have held me up through 2 miscarriages, countless failed fertility treatments, heartache, depression, anxiety and ultimately, the birth of my three amazing babies…Ella, Benjamin and William…who next month will ALL turn 3!!!! My husband is my rock, but my girlfriends…well they are just like you said, my net. When I fall, they catch me and throw me back up into the air so I once again can fly!!! Thank you for your posts…it is amazing how one persons words of pain, joy and love can inspire so many. Blessing to you and yours, today and always.

I have tears in my eyes and if it wasn’t because i’m on the tube i would’ve been crying now! This is the most beautiful blog post i have ever read and it makes me wanna fly back home and hug all the wonderful woman i know in my Net!

You are so transparent in your stories and such a beautiful soul, the kind of enlightened persons one always wants to have around . Thanks for sharing your life and friendship with us in your blog!

I have to share, through tears that you can’t see, how my own “net” formed last night just as I needed it.I am 22 weeks pregnant with our third (although my heart says fifth, after two loses)and after challenging pregnancies each time previously this one was going very well, until I feared, last night. We have also been battling a really gross stomach bug in our house and my poor husband was sick with it all day yesterday. So against what either of us really wanted, once I decided I should go get checked out at the hospital, I had to find someone else to take me there and hold my hand through what may have been one of the worst nights of my life. It was easy to think of who to call and when one of my girls wasn’t available, the other was very quick to say “I’ll be right over, of course.” They both have families of their own and it was right in the middle of dinner-time. But after Crystal and I got to the hospital and in a room, her phone rang and our other friend Morgan was crossing the street on her way up the floor. I laid on that bed listening to the sweet sound of our little ones heart beating strongly with my net at either side of my bed holding my up. The news was good, everything was okay and easily treated, and I knew the whole time as I waited for the news I was in good company to handle whatever the news was. I couldn’t help thinking of this post of yours I had just read that morning. So blessed to have my very own net, so blessed indeed.

Love this post! All of you are beautiful souls and very fortunate to have each other. :)))

It feels so good to have someone that can help us carry some load…listen to us…understand us deep down…remind us who we are, what really matters, where we are going…and it feels even better when we are able to be there for someone that need us…To give and receive support are two of the best things we can do for ourselves and others…these acts of love are precious gifts to our hearts…

“I believe the greatest gift I can conceive of having from anyone is to be seen by them, heard by them, to be understood and touched by them.” ~Virginia Satir

Loved this post! This is what life is all about!! I am blessed to have my net spread all over the world after living overseas for 14 years. I have learned that no matter where we come from or for how long we meet, we can make amazing connections to add to our “net” if we open the doors and allow it. Some of the most amazing people in my life were people I never thought I had much in common with. Kelle, what an amazing group of ladies you surround yourself with. You are blessed to have that support “net” around you. Great read!

Ooooh, you have inspired me to do something similar. My girls (friends) have been my lifeline for so many situations and I have been honored to have been their lifeline as well. I have come to realize that not everyone has this and it takes effort and time to make sure you do. Good job and thank you for being an example of a woman who strives to be an amazing momma and a happy woman!

thanks for this sweet, sweet post. bitter sweet for me – but totally inspiring. you inspired this little blog in which i called for a net…to appear. and you know what? the next night i met 7 wonderfully amazing women – i think, the start of my own net. thanks as always for your yummy blog. -hannahhttp://tothemoonnback.net

Hi there – I know this entry is old but you linked to it on a recent entry.

I just wanted to say how much this entry touched me. Tears formed (and fell down my face) because it’s so beautifully written and the message behind it is wonderful and one that resonates so much with me. I am a strong believer in cherishing friendships. In this world, a great emphasis is placed on romantic relationships and family relationships — not so much friendships. So when I come across someone who values friendships as much as I do, they become someone I admire.